Paper-clip.



J. P. & K. K. NIELSEN.

PAPER CLIP.

APPLICATION FILED'JULY 24,1916.

Pmmd Feb. 26,191.

726672227 F* f M M TENS 1. NIELSEN AND KARL NIELSEN, OF CHICAGO,ILLINOIS; 'SAID KARL K. NIELSEN ASSIGNORTO SAID 'JENS l. NIELSEN.

PAPER-GIMP.

retreat.

Specificationof LettersPatent.

Applicationfled July 24, 1916. Serial No. 110,866.

will enable others skilledin the art to which it appertains tomakeanduse the same.

Our invention relates to metallic fasteners or so-called clips forsecuring a number of papers to each other, its general objects being toprovide a simple, cheap and .easily applied fastener which will lockwith sub.- stantially equal firmness in either thin or thick bunches ofpapers and which will effectively prevent a relative shifting of thepapers fastened, by .it. More particularly, our invention aims toprovide a single-piece fastener which may easily be applied merely by apressure of the fingers and which the fingers will be effectivelyshielded against contact with theprong or tang passing through theadjoiningpapers; to provide simple and eflective means for frictionallylocking the said prong or tang regardless of the thickness or number ofthe papers connected by the fastener; and to provide effective means forpreventing a rotation of the connected papers about the said prong ortang. appear from'the following specification and from the accompanyingdrawings in which Figure 1 is a plan view showing a fastener embodyingour invention and used at the corner of overlapped papers.

Fig. 2 shows a similar fastener applied to a lateral edge of the papersunited by it.

Fig. 3 is a side view of the fastener and papers of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a plan view of the blank from which the fastener of Figs. 1and 2 was folded.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary section showing the anchoring of thepapers by the tang or prong of the fastener.

Fig. 6 shows another shape of fastener embodying our invention.

Fig. 7 is a plan view of the blank from which the fastener of Fig. 7 wasfolded.

In accomplishing the purpose of our invention, we employ a metal blankweakened at its center so as to be easily folded across Further objectswill the latter to afi'ord a transverse hinge. This weakenlng wepreferably accomplish by equipping the blank at its center with aperforation separating relatively narrow straps 1, which straps, whenthe blank is folded upon itself, afford a pair of U-shaped elementsconnecting the end portions of the fastener. In one of these endportions we form a sharply pointed tang or prong 2 projecting (when thefastener is folded) toward an aperture 3 in the other end portion, thisaperture being preferably made wider at each end than atits middle, asfor example by bowing the sides of the aperture toward each other as inFig. 4. In using .such a fastener, the same is left with its endportions sprung slightly apart and is slipped over an edge portion ofthe overlapped papers. Then, upon pressing the end portions of thefastener toward each other, the tang 2 will pierce the papers and enterthe aperture 8, forcing adjacent portions of the papers into thisaperture also. By suitably proportioning the minimum width of the saidaperture to the thickness of the tang or prong, we can readily cause thelatter to wedge-even a pair of quite thin papers between itself and thesides of the aperture 3, while parts of thicker or more numerous paperswhen adj oined by the same fastener would be crowded into the enlargedend portions of the said aperture. Consequently, the tang of ourfastener will wedge itself tightly between parts of the'papersregardless of their thickness or number.

To avoid injury to a finger of the hand affixing our fastener, wepreferably shield the aperture 3 by a bridge 4: formed integral with therest of the fastener and arching over the tip of the tang 2 when thefastener is in use. We also preferably so shape the fastener during theoperation of folding the same that the bends of the U-shaped straps 1 ateach side of the central perforation will be out of alinement with eachother, thereby making our fastener equally serviceable for use along anyedge portion of the papers to which it is applied (as for exlffatentedFeb. 26, 1 91.

ample in Fig. 2), or at a corner of the Pit-.-

pers, in which latter case these corners may project through the saidcentral perforation as shown in Fig. 1. In either case, it will beobvious that by providing U-shaped straps affording relatively widelyspaced bends, we can obtain two bearings at edge portions of theadjoined papers, which bearings will prevent the fastener from rockingabout the tang as afpivot and hence will avoid a gradual loosening ofthe fastener in case the ,handling of the papers places any consider?able strain on the fastener. Thus our simplefand SlnglPlGCG fastener notonly assures the we'dging of the tang (and consequent locking of thelatter against accidental retraction by the resiliency of the metal fromwhich the fastener was made), but

also affords a three-point anchoring against a lateral shifting of thepapers which would disturb the desired alinement of the papers and Whichmight gradually loosen the fastening.

ter could be modified in many ways without departing from the spirit ofour invention. For example, instead of so disposing the bends as to makethem equally suitable for edge or corner uses (as shown respectively inFigs. 1 and 2) we may dispose these bends r at right'angles to eachother, as in Fig. 7

thereby particularly adapting the fastener for use at the, corners ofthe papers by enabling the sand bends to aline respectively withrelatively transverse edges of the papers. I So also,.the folding of thefastener of our inventlon may be effected along lines which are in;alinement with eachother in the blank, by so arranging the tools thatthey will spread the shanks farther apart than they were in the blank.Thus, in forming the fastener of. Figs. 1 and2 from the blank of Fig. 4,the shanks 1 are spread apart, thereby carrying the bends out ofalinement with each other. Likewise, in forming the blank of Fig. 7 intothe fastener of Fig. 6,

the shanks are partly stretched so as to bring their bends substantiallyat right angles to each other. However, we do not wish to be limited tothis distorting of the shanks during the manufacture of our fasteners.

We claim as our invention:

1. A paper fastener including a pair of ends equipped with opposed tangand aperture formations, the tang being pointed and substantially flatand adapted to enter the aperture, when the fastener is in use, theaperture presenting opposed side portions bowed toward each other anddisposed for clamping portions of the papers between the tang and saidbowed portions, the ends of the aperture presenting relatively widerportions into which thicker portions of the papers to which the fasteneris affixed may be forced by the tang.

2. In a paper fastener formed from a blank bent upon itself, a tangformed from one of its free end portions and facing the other endportion, and a bridge punched from the last named portion at a pointopposite said tang, the perforation produced by forming said bridgehaving sides bowed toward each other, substantially as and for thepurpose specified.

3. A paper fastener including a pair of ends equipped with opposed tangand aperture formations, the tang being pointed and substantially fiat,the aperture being elongated substantially axially of the tang when thefastener is in operative position, and the aperture being enlarged inwidth at its ends. 1Signed at Chicago, Illinois, July 19th, 19 6.

JENS P. NIELSEN. KARL K. NIELSEN.

I Copies of this patent may be'obtained for five cents each, byaddressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C.

